Mama Threads

Great Deal! Calypso On Sale

I remembering wandering into Calypso as a young single girl in the city. Their clothes were the essence of weekends at the beach.  Beautiful, light, flowing, simple - practically everything you would want for your summer wardrobe. Of course, it was all pretty far out of my single girl salary's reach. But wait! I can relive my youth...Calypso is having a great online sale! Check out this beautiful dress that can easily work as a dress, skirt or top. At $49, it's 70% off it's orignal price of $165.

Outfit of the Week: Norma Kamali at Walmart

I am not a big supporter of Walmart.  Sure, they have cheap diapers, but I remember when they were pushing out all the mom and pop stores in my small town growing up.  I wasn't thrilled with their treatment of employees either....but this isn't a political blog.  Also, times have changed, and I think Walmart has, too.  I was pretty thrilled to shop at Walmart last time I was outside of New York.  We are on a tight budget, and I am trying to count every penny.  When I heard that Norma Kamali was designing a line for Walmart, I got my sister to be my guinea pig.  I read a great review of a long sleeve black dress at ChicCritque.com.  Sis was looking for black dress for a party, and I got her to order the sleeveless version.  It came quickly and was really great! She paired it with a pair of brightly colored tights and vintage scrunched up leather 80's boots.  In fact, she looked so good, I went online today and bought a bunch of things!  My favorite things are an Organic Bateau Tee that I am going to pair with the black leggings. Shipping is just $.97 per item!

Get In Shape: Yummie Tummie

I really need to do about a million sit-ups and cut out carbs...but I also have a million excuses for why I haven't done either of those yet.  Did I mention I had 2 c-sections?  What's a mama to do?  Shapewear! The key to making your clothes look good is what you wear underneath them.  The right undergarments can make all the difference.  Check out Yummie Tummie.  They make these amazing tops that slim your tummy and hips while still being comfortable. They come in a lot of styles and colors including a nursing top.

Shopping Tip: Saks Fifth Avenue has a tank on sale for $26.90 with limited colors and sizes.  

Alert! Lord & Taylor Has Soho Jeans on Sale

Lord & Taylor has the DKNY Soho Jeans on sale!!  They have two styles: Soho Rubbed Raw for $39.99 and Soho Blast Wash for $26.89.   Sizes are limited in both styles.  Use code SIGSALE for an additional 20% off.

If you missed my earlier post, these are the greatest jeans!  They aren't so high cut that they scream mom jeans but they aren't so low cut that you flash every time you bend over to pick up the baby.  They have a little bit of stretch which means they are comfortable all day long.

Sale Alert! Gap, Lord & Taylor, Banana Republic, Lucky Jeans

Lots of big sale news today!

Gap Spring Sale: Up to 40% this season's clothes!

Lord & Taylor: 20% off coupon (code: SIGSALE) with free shipping on orders over $99

Banana Republic: 20% off sale items (code: EXTRA20)

Lucky Jeans: 40% Off Coupon (code: 9MARFF4) with free shipping for orders over $125

Nice Price! Noir Indigo Capris for $39.99

If Michele Obama can wear White House Black Market, maybe it deserves a look!  (Side note: I am really impressed by our new first lady.  She seems to be taking it all in stride plus she has real world style.  I could see myself actually wearing some of the things she has in her closet!)  Check out this pair of jean capris.  They are great pants for spring's capricious weather that will move easily into summer.  I love the stitching on the rear pockets.  AND they have spandex (you know I am a big fan of this one!).  Check out their sale shoes as well.  Lots of cute flats & sandals that would go great with these pants!

Great Deal: Empire Maxi Dress

I heard from some of my readers that my recent post featuring a maxi dress at Chadwick's didn't include a great range of sizes since it was on clearance.  I really love this trend so I did some browsing and came across another one I thought was a great buy...and stylish to boot!  Check out this Empire Y-Back Maxi Dress from Wet Seal for $16.90 (with $5 shipping).  It's easy on the budget and has a sexy back that will be great in the summer.  Bonus: the dress includes built in bra cups.

Trend Spotting: Smock Top & Simple Skirt

One of the big trends for spring that works as mom-wear is a smock top paired with a simple skirt, but this look can be tricky to pull off. Both pieces are super comfortable to wear but can easily overwhelm with their loose shape. Check out this pairing: the Flutter Sleeve Blouse from Max Studio ($38, Reg $80) with this A-Line Skirt from Merona at Target ($24.99; free shipping with orders over $50).  The top is silk, but it can be handwashed.  The skirt is lined and includes a little bit of spandex that will help you move with ease.

Tip: Use spray starch when ironing silk to make the job quicker. 

Shopping Trip! Two Cute Dresses

I do almost all my shopping online. With two young kids, I rarely get a chance to step foot in actual retail stores. However, during my vacation last week, I popped into Kohls for quick look around. My mission was to check out the Dana Buchman line in person.  Overall, I really liked it.  Almost all of the pieces included some interesting detail or a fun pattern. They were well made in decent fabrics with good shape - all things that are really important to me in my clothes.  BUT they seemed more dressy than I would wear as a mom unless I had an occasion. They would have been really great for my office days. This is not to say that you shouldn't check it out as I really did like it, but as a stay at home mom most didn't work for me.

On a different note, I found two summer dresses on my shopping spree.  Both are very wash & wear.  I thought they were comfortable and stylish for warm summer days at the playground or out to dinner for date night. One had a fun retro pattern that I just couldn't pass up.  The other is basic black but with interesting shirring and an empire waist line.  Both were onsale and great deals. Overall, I thought Kohl's had some great dresses for summer at budget friendly price points.

Sale Alert! 6pm.com Sale on Nine West & Dansko

6pm.com is a good online store in the vein of Marshalls or TJ Maxx.  The offerings change but you can generally find some great deals with a little digging.  Right now, they have all their Nine West shoes for $19.99 (great sandals for summer!) as well as all their Dansko on sale.  It's hard to find deals on Dansko shoes so jump on this one.  Also, bookmark this as a great place to browse when you are looking for a deal but don't have something specific in mind.